Long time no see...
Well, Andy and I have been busy.
My parents came down for a visit the first week in October. They were here 9 days. That is the longest house guest visit we have had to date ;-) It was a really good visit, but I didn't get to spend too much time with them during the week. Work has been really busy and I was having to stay late, almost every day. We were able to do some really cool things. We went to Lookout Mountain, Raccoon Mountain, did some hiking on the Cumberland Trail and Raccoon trails, cooked out with friends, and went to a fundraiser for our neighbor's daughter. BTW, our neighbor's daughter broke her neck (C1 and C2) a couple of months ago...she is recovering well. Her name is Brittany Stockburger, if you could keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Andy had his 28th birthday this past Friday. We had a great night. I made ginger/wasabi marinated pork chops with broccoli and baked sweet potatoes. For dessert, I made him an apple pie. With some money I have been saving, I bought him a tool belt. He does have quite the "honey-do" list going, so I thought he could use a good tool belt to help him in his activities. :)
We are coming up on our 2 year wedding anniversary. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the last 2 years. Things have gone by so fast! Some days it seems like yesterday and others it seems like we have always lived in Tennessee. I really love being married to Andy. He is such an awesome husband. He really is my best friend and the first person I want to talk to or see when something comes up. I never thought a relationship could be this great. We were talking the other day about how when people say, "Relationships take a lot of work." Andy and I had 2 different opinions on the subject, but in truth we agreed. They don't take a lot of work. They take a lot of trust. You can't always be right. You can't always be heard. You can't demand your opinion to be the best. With all that, you then have to trust your partner won't take advantage of you giving them your trust. I know it is more involved that that, but in truth I think it really comes down to trusting your partner with your feelings. I am so happy Andy lets me be me and vice versa.
On Tuesday, for our anniversary, we are going to the Bald Headed Bistro in Cleavland, TN for dinner. Our friends Wes Young and Carrie Hertel are going with us. (Yes, Wes was the MIA groomsman). Since they couldn't be with us 2 years ago, we wanted to hang with them that day. The Bald Headed Bistro is having an October Fest...
http://www.baldheadedbistro.com
On another note, I have signed up for the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, TN December 6th, 2009. I only have 7 weeks to train, but I think it will be a good race and I hope to do well. My best friend Candace Crawford is doing the 1/2 Marathon, so we will be rooming together and celebrating afterward. I am really looking forward to seeing her and racing. Not sure what, if any, my goals for the marathon will be; but I will keep you posted as my training continues.
Take care,
Heather
Chattanooga, TN -- 55* Sunny Wind ESE 1 mph - Humidity 46%
Bloomington, IL -- 59* Sunny Wind SSW 19 mph - Humidity 53%
Aurora, IL -- 59* Partly cloudy Wind SSW 15 mph - Humidity 57%
Looks like IL is warmer, but give me 1 mph winds vs. 19 mph any day ;-)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
JoyStar Handmade Originals
My best friend, Candace Crawford, has this killer handmade purse business. I am so proud of her and want to share her talent with all of you.
With the holidays coming up and budgets being tight...this is a great opportunity to get a one of a kind piece for a REALLY great price.
I have 4 of her bags and I get compliments all the time. I will never carry a bag that has not been made by her. She is a real artist. Please check her site out...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Andy updated his blog!
Andy is out at Interbike in Las Vegas this week. This is the coolest bike show EVER.
The first 2 days are the "dirt demo" Andy gets to ride any bike he wants and put it through the ringer. He said the last time he went he totally demolished a cross bike and kindly handed it back to the rep without flinching. The rep said thanks and handed him another one!
The third day of the show is at the Expo (I think this year it is at the Sands convention center). Also on the third day is Cross Vegas. One of the most exciting and popular Cyclo-cross races.
The rest of the week is a regular expo. Andy is much better at loading pictures. So his blog is full of them. Warning: Vegas in September will make you jealous! (hint: it is not raining there).
http://www.boyandhisbike.blogspot.com/
PS-Andy has not set up the "instant e-mail" thing I did. So you actually have to click on the link. I would save it to your favorites or bookmark it or something.
later taters, H
Weather:
Chattanooga, TN -- RAIN RAIN RAIN
Bloomington, IL -- I don't care 'cuz it there is a monsoon in Chattanooga
Aurora, IL -- see entry for Bloomington, IL
The first 2 days are the "dirt demo" Andy gets to ride any bike he wants and put it through the ringer. He said the last time he went he totally demolished a cross bike and kindly handed it back to the rep without flinching. The rep said thanks and handed him another one!
The third day of the show is at the Expo (I think this year it is at the Sands convention center). Also on the third day is Cross Vegas. One of the most exciting and popular Cyclo-cross races.
The rest of the week is a regular expo. Andy is much better at loading pictures. So his blog is full of them. Warning: Vegas in September will make you jealous! (hint: it is not raining there).
http://www.boyandhisbike.blogspot.com/
PS-Andy has not set up the "instant e-mail" thing I did. So you actually have to click on the link. I would save it to your favorites or bookmark it or something.
later taters, H
Weather:
Chattanooga, TN -- RAIN RAIN RAIN
Bloomington, IL -- I don't care 'cuz it there is a monsoon in Chattanooga
Aurora, IL -- see entry for Bloomington, IL
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I finally know what my J-O-B is!
Yeah! After 2 weeks at my new job I have finally discovered what Affiliate Marketing is. Well, sorta...
Affiliate Marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts.
There are 4 core players at it’s heart:
1. The Advertisers (Amazon.com / Zappos.com)
2. The Network (LinkShare / Commission Junction)
3. The Affiliates (the person with the blog/website)
4. The Consumer (the person buying stuff from Amazon/Zappos)
Affiliate marketing—using one website to drive traffic to another—is a form of online marketing, which is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail, and website syndication capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers' marketing strategies.
I know that was a little technical. Here is another way to put it... If I wanted to make a little extra money I would put up "advertising banners" on our blog here. Most likely they would be put out to the side bar. I would pick companies that would reflect our blog, like REI or Performance Bicycles. When "guests" visit our blog; you have immediate access to REI or Performance directly from our blog. You buy something from REI, on that visit (from our blog), and REI gives me money. It is a free investment on my part and there is no added expense to my "guests." If you were going to buy something from Performance Bicycles anyway, then you just come to my blog first before googling "Performance Bicycles" and using a search engine. Win-Win.
Now my specific job does not involve super cool companies like REI or Performance. My company works with Pay Day Loans. I know what you are thinking...Ewwww. But after some thought and research, I am not making these people take out a pay day loan. They are doing it on their own. Therefore making their own poor investments and making the company I work for wealthy and able to pay my salary. Who am I to financially advise people not to make poor financial decisions? They should know better, but when you are in a jam and need money, pay day loans are there.
After I sat in the call center listening to people take out loans and then on the collections side our company trying to get our money back, I realized no one should EVER take out a pay day loan. They are intended for a 2 week small loan (no more than $1000). The people that need small loans typically can't pay them back in 2 weeks. There is not an APR, per se, because the interest is incurred daily. So the interest works out annually to be almost 400%!!!!! I repeat do not take out a pay day loan. But let's keep that between you and me ;-)
So as the Affiliate Marketing Coordinator for Logic Marketing (our new web-site will be launched next week :)) I track how many affiliates (people with financial blogs/websites that host our ads) have gotten traffic from their sites to our the pay day loan site. There is a lot more involved with what I do exactly, but I won't bore you with the details. ;-) I will say it is FUN and innovative.
I am so excited to be working in the area of advertising and marketing. The Internet is the way people are shopping, connecting, researching, and living. Affiliate marketing is so new they don't even teach it in college when you get a degree in marketing (right Meredith?) At least that is what I have been told. My degree is in Psychology. If I had to do it all over again, I would have picked a different major. My advice to all the fresh new college students, pick one of these majors and you will be sure to be marketable and have a job when you get out of school.
Ok, I am done with my soap box. :-) Just wish I had someone tell me exactly what I should do in school.
Love ya all, Heather
Weather: @ 10:30 am Eastern time 9:30 am Central time
Chattanooga, TN 69* feels like 69* partly sunny-- 90% humidity -- Wind "CALM" (not sure what that means)
Bloomington, IL 65* feels like 65* sunny -- 87% humidity -- Wind "CALM" (I think the weather.com peeps are smoking some grass)
Aurora, IL 65* feels like 65* FOG -- 94% humidity -- Wind NE at 2 mph
Affiliate Marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts.
There are 4 core players at it’s heart:
1. The Advertisers (Amazon.com / Zappos.com)
2. The Network (LinkShare / Commission Junction)
3. The Affiliates (the person with the blog/website)
4. The Consumer (the person buying stuff from Amazon/Zappos)
Affiliate marketing—using one website to drive traffic to another—is a form of online marketing, which is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail, and website syndication capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers' marketing strategies.
I know that was a little technical. Here is another way to put it... If I wanted to make a little extra money I would put up "advertising banners" on our blog here. Most likely they would be put out to the side bar. I would pick companies that would reflect our blog, like REI or Performance Bicycles. When "guests" visit our blog; you have immediate access to REI or Performance directly from our blog. You buy something from REI, on that visit (from our blog), and REI gives me money. It is a free investment on my part and there is no added expense to my "guests." If you were going to buy something from Performance Bicycles anyway, then you just come to my blog first before googling "Performance Bicycles" and using a search engine. Win-Win.
Now my specific job does not involve super cool companies like REI or Performance. My company works with Pay Day Loans. I know what you are thinking...Ewwww. But after some thought and research, I am not making these people take out a pay day loan. They are doing it on their own. Therefore making their own poor investments and making the company I work for wealthy and able to pay my salary. Who am I to financially advise people not to make poor financial decisions? They should know better, but when you are in a jam and need money, pay day loans are there.
After I sat in the call center listening to people take out loans and then on the collections side our company trying to get our money back, I realized no one should EVER take out a pay day loan. They are intended for a 2 week small loan (no more than $1000). The people that need small loans typically can't pay them back in 2 weeks. There is not an APR, per se, because the interest is incurred daily. So the interest works out annually to be almost 400%!!!!! I repeat do not take out a pay day loan. But let's keep that between you and me ;-)
So as the Affiliate Marketing Coordinator for Logic Marketing (our new web-site will be launched next week :)) I track how many affiliates (people with financial blogs/websites that host our ads) have gotten traffic from their sites to our the pay day loan site. There is a lot more involved with what I do exactly, but I won't bore you with the details. ;-) I will say it is FUN and innovative.
I am so excited to be working in the area of advertising and marketing. The Internet is the way people are shopping, connecting, researching, and living. Affiliate marketing is so new they don't even teach it in college when you get a degree in marketing (right Meredith?) At least that is what I have been told. My degree is in Psychology. If I had to do it all over again, I would have picked a different major. My advice to all the fresh new college students, pick one of these majors and you will be sure to be marketable and have a job when you get out of school.
- Computers IT (Building / software development)
- Advertising / PR / Marketing
- Teaching
- Accounting
- Finance (Banking/Investments)
- Computer assisted design/Art
- Law
- Foreign Language
Ok, I am done with my soap box. :-) Just wish I had someone tell me exactly what I should do in school.
Love ya all, Heather
Weather: @ 10:30 am Eastern time 9:30 am Central time
Chattanooga, TN 69* feels like 69* partly sunny-- 90% humidity -- Wind "CALM" (not sure what that means)
Bloomington, IL 65* feels like 65* sunny -- 87% humidity -- Wind "CALM" (I think the weather.com peeps are smoking some grass)
Aurora, IL 65* feels like 65* FOG -- 94% humidity -- Wind NE at 2 mph
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Ah the Midwest...
I knew at some point I would miss the Midwest. Last summer on almost every bike ride I tried to soak in as much of the big sky flatlands as I could. I almost got misty eyed knowing the majestic fields were no longer going to be my "home." I kept telling myself how much I was going to enjoy the mountains and the rivers. I knew I would enjoy the Tennessee Valley just as much as I had enjoyed the heartland. Truth be told, I have. Today my sister Heidi and I drove to the Ocoee River and was amazed that I actually get to live here in Tennessee. Gorgeous. Truly beautiful (post pictures soon). And then our friend Brad Weaver posted these amazing pictures of Bloomington, IL on his blog and I got all kinds of homesick...
Can you blame me? Even if you have lived in the Midwest your entire life and HATE corn and soybean fields and can't wait to get out of the Midwest, you have to admit these pictures are truly amazing. (Thanks Brad ;-))
Can you blame me? Even if you have lived in the Midwest your entire life and HATE corn and soybean fields and can't wait to get out of the Midwest, you have to admit these pictures are truly amazing. (Thanks Brad ;-))
I will post more tomorrow about the rafting on the Ocoee River today. I will say one little thing first, it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. I am totally ready to lean how to kayak. =)
TTFN--Heather
Monday, August 31, 2009
weather 8/31
Chattanooga, TN -- 80* feels like 81* humidity 54% -- wind N 7 mph @ 1:16 pm
Bloomington, IL -- 62* feels like 62* humidity 60% -- wind N 9 mph @ 12:16 pm
Aurora, IL -- 66* feels like 66* humidity 47% -- wind NNE 7 mph @ 12:16 pm
Whoa! Chilly up there?
love ya all,
Heather
Bloomington, IL -- 62* feels like 62* humidity 60% -- wind N 9 mph @ 12:16 pm
Aurora, IL -- 66* feels like 66* humidity 47% -- wind NNE 7 mph @ 12:16 pm
Whoa! Chilly up there?
love ya all,
Heather
BMW River Gorge Bike Weekend
This past weekend was the BMW River Gorge Omnium. For those of you not familiar with a biking omnium it is broken down like this...
Below: race morning with Lookout Mountain in the background all misty/cloudy
There are 3 components. A bike race, a time trial, and a crit. Some bike races are different but this weekend the bike race (40 miles) was Saturday morning, the time trial (4 miles) was Saturday night, and the crit was Sunday morning.
The bike race (which I did) is really different than anything I had ever done before. During a bike race you start out in one big pack divided up by categories. Cat 4 for women is the "beginner" and Cat 5 for men is the "beginner" categories. It goes up to Cat 1/2 Pro for men and women. Since there are so many more men doing the race than women they started the men off at different times depending on their category. For the women, we started off all together (1/2 Pro, 3, and 4). There was a "neutral zone" for about 1.5 miles. During this time you are trying to jockey for a good position in the pack. It is sorta like driving into Chicago or Atlanta. You gotta fight for getting in and not letting someone get into the pack. If you get a good position, then when the speed picks up you are not on the end trying to fight the constant Yo-Yo effect. The Yo-Yo is when the front of the pack makes small changes in speed it trickles back on the back of the pack in big changes. When you are an inexperienced rider, you will find yourself on the back more often than not. Just like I did ;-)
I thought I was doing ok, until the neutral zone was over. Whoops. I didn't have the guts to push up into the front, so when the first attack/climb happened about 10 miles into the ride, I got dropped like a sac of potatoes. I fought to catch my teammate that also got dropped. I caught up to Jennifer and we drafted off of each other for a bit and then I was pulling her up a climb and thought she was on my wheel, but I lost her after the last part of the first climb. Darn. Sorry. One of the course marshals said I was only 1 minute off of the pack and if I sprinted I could catch them. It is so much easier riding in a pack than by yourself, so I sprinted. And sprinted. And sprinted. I kept seeing car traffic slowing in front of me and figured they were JUST up there and I could maybe catch them, but unfortunately one person trying to catch 10, just isn't going to work. So I time trialed (TT) for the next 25 miles.
The race ends on one of the hardest climbs I have ever done down here. Remember my first bike post? That climb on Raccoon Mountain? Yup. That was the climb. In a race. At the end of 40 miles!!! UGH. I did better on the climb than I have ever done. I got some great numbers from my power tap. Which was AWESOME. Ok, I will try to break down power. Back home when I did the TT course for 40 kilometers (~ 26.4 miles) my average power output was 135. On Saturday for 40 miles, not 40 km, my average power was 160!!!! My power to weight ratio is approximately .67! Most pro riders have a power to weight ratio around or above .80. I am so happy. So all in all, I got spit off the pack early, but have proven to myself that I am a decent rider down here. I just have to work on hills and getting into my "pain cave."
The TT was Saturday afternoon. Since Saturday was my last day at Hennen's I didn't want to TT and lose face/money at Hennen's. The TT was only 4 miles. Andy and I are used to time trialing for a lot longer distance. 4 miles is not even enough time to blink, let alone redline for a decent time. Wish I could have seen/done it. Next year for sure.
The crit was Sunday morning. Sorta the same thing as the road race. They break you up into your categories 1/2 Pro, 3, 4, and 5. You get 40 minutes to go around a 1 mile loop in downtown Chattanooga and the guy/gal that goes around the most wins the crit. Very very fast paced and very hard effort. I didn't do the crit this year, but just like the TT; it is on like Donkey Kong next year!
Here are some pictures from the weekend...
Below: race morning with Lookout Mountain in the background all misty/cloudy
Below: Krystal Chiks Team
(Left to Right: Jennifer, Kristi, Ashley, Meghan, Me, Barbie, & Stephanie)
Below: Andy and his teammate Ricky warming up for the crit
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